This invention pertains to tool holders for lathes. It pertains particularly to tool holders for wood lathes of the class popular for use in home work shops.
Metal lathes almost universally are provided with tool holders used for holding selected knives in selected positions with respect to work being turned on the lathe. This is not the case, however, with most wood lathes, particularly those employed in the home work shop.
In the use of such lathes, the cutting tool normally is held by hand. As a consequence, accurate work is difficult to achieve. Also, where a multiplicity of pieces of like pattern, as bannister spindles or candle holders are being produced, it is virtually impossible to make any two of the pieces exactly alike.
It accordingly is the general object of the present invention to provide a tool holder for use on home workshop wood lathes which permits positioning the cutting tool accurately with respect to the work.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wood lathe tool holder which is adjustable easily and rapidly in any desired direction - up or down, in or out, angularly, or rotationally.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wood lathe tool holder which mounts the cutting tool accurately and fixedly with respect to the work in the selected position of adjustment.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wood lathe tool holder which is readily adaptable for use on home wood lathes of the various conventional classes, without extensive modification or rebuilding of the lathe.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wood lathe tool holder the use of which makes possible cutting a selected pattern in a multiplicity of work pieces, the pattern so cut in one of the pieces being identical with the patterns cut in the remaining pieces.
Another object of this invention, is the provisiton of a wood lathe tool holder the use of which simplifies the lathe cutting operation so that a high degree of skill is not necessry to obtain a superior product.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a wood lathe tool holder which is simple and rugged in construction, durable, and free from difficult maintenance problems.
Broadly stated, the wood lathe tool holder of my invention which accomplishes the foregoing and other objects of the invention is adapted for use on a wood lathe fitted with a bed rail and a support block slidably mounted thereon. The tool holder comprises an arm, and mounting means adjustably mounting one end of the arm on the support block.
A sleeve is fixed to the other end of the arm transversely thereof. A post is slidably received in the sleeve for longitudinal and rotational movement. A clamp on the sleeve clamps the post in the selected position of longitudinal and rotational adjustment.
An adjustable ram is fixed to the outer end of the post. It in turn mounts a knife block accommodating cutters of various categories.
Accordingly, my tool holder provides multiple adjustments - adjustment of the arm both rotationally and longitudinally; adjustment of the post up and down and rotationally; adjustment of the ram in and out; and adjustment of the knife rotationally or angularly. This makes it possible to mount the knife in any desired position with respect to the work piece. Once so mounted, it may be applied to the turning of a succession of work pieces each with an identical design cut in its surface.